Attachment for beds



Feb. 1, 1938. c J EWALD ATTACHMENT FOR BEDS Filed Sept. 14. 1953 //vve,v7-a.e: CHAPLES .Z'Emua 14%;) Z44 #41 A Tree/vs Y5 Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an attachment for beds and particularly to an attachment capable of use for a variety of purposes.

An object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character specified which may be readily utilized as a support for the bedclothes, either at the foot or at the side of a bed to hold the bedclothes out of contactwith portions of the body of an occupant of the bed. I

Another object is to provide an attachment, such as that specified in the object immediately above, which attachment embodies means for clamping the end or an edge of the bedclothes in position, thus preventing the same from being pulled out and also facilitating the making of the bed as the bedclothes may be thrown back from off the 'bed without pulling the same from beneath the mattress.

A further object is to provide an attachment such as that enumerated in the above objects which will not affect the appearance of the bed 'whenit is made up and is not occupied but which attachment can be quickly rendered operative for the purposes specified when the bed is occupied.

A still further object is to provide an attachment of this character which embodies supporting means for the bedclothes, which means is arranged in an inoperative position when the bed is not in use, but can be quickly moved and secured in an operative position by the occupant of the bed.

Another object. is to provide an apparatus such as that above specified which will automatically adjust itself to the exact thickness of the mattress and which is simple in construction and can be inexpensively manufactured.

A still further object is to provide an attachment for beds whereby a bed table or a book rack may be easily, quickly and firmly mounted in position across the bed.

, Further and additional objects not specifically enumerated above will become apparent hereinafter during the detailed description which is to follow of several embodiments of the invention,

in raised position, the attachment being shownin full lines with the bedclothing supporting member thereof resting upon the lower sheet of the bedclothing, while the mattress, together with the clothing supporting member of the attachment in dot and dash lines;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryperspective view of a somewhat modified form of attachment and illustrates the same as equipped with a bedclothing 10 supporting member especially adapted for supporting the bedclothing along a side edge of the bed;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the attachment can be utilized to '15 support a bed table;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the way in which the attachmentmay be employed to support a book rack or stand, and

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on line 6-45 of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The attachment embodying the present invention is capable of a wide variety of uses for difierent purposes and, in order to illustrate sever- 25 al of such uses and to disclose the wide range of utility present in the attachment, several of its difierent uses are illustrated and described herein with the understanding, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited in its utility thereto.

It is often desirable and necessary that bedclothing be supported so as not to contact with the body of an occupant of the bed, as for example, in the case of invalids or persons suffering from injuries of various descriptions. An attachment embodying the present invention which is es pecially useful in maintaining bedclothing out of contact with the feet of an occupant of a. bed has been illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing in a form particularly adaptable for this purpose.

Refrring to Fig. l, the mattress of a bed is diagrammatically illustrated by dot and dash lines and is indicated generally by the numeral I 0. The attachmentv comprises a base portion or member preferably formed of rod stock of suitable size arranged in a substantially U-shaped configuration with legs H and a cross portion I2. The legs H are connected intermediate their ends by a cross bar or rod l3 which may be welded or otherwise suitably secured at its ends to the legs II. The free ends of the legs II have secured thereto by welding or other suitable means tubes H which extend perpendicularly with respect to the legs I I and should be of a length substantially corresponding to the thickness of the usual mattress. A pair of clamping members I5 are mounted upon the cross rod I3 intermediate the ends thereof, such members being substantially U-shape and having the ends of their leg portions secured to the rod I3, preferably with one of the members fixedly mounted and the, other hingedly mounted on the rod, although both of the members could be hingedly mounted. A loop I6 embraces the members I5 and when moved toward the free ends of the members acts to clamp the same together, it being noted that the legs of the members are bowed so that the loop will engage the same with a clamping action.

The attachment is arranged in position upon the bed by placing the base portion thereof beneath the mattress while the tubes I4 extend vertically toward the top of the mattress and adjacent the foot of the same. I

Plugs I! are slidably mounted in the tubes I4, while a substantially U-shaped member, preferably formed of a single piece of rod stock and indicated at I8, has the free ends of its leg portions pivotally connected to the upper ends of the plugs Il', it being noted that the rod forming the member I8 is of less diameter than the di-. ameter of the plugs, for a purpose later to be explained. In order to brace the upper ends of the tubes I4 a cross rod I9 extends therebetween and has its opposite ends welded or otherwise secured to the tubes at such points.

The lower sheet is arranged on the mattress in the usual manner before positioning the attachment. The plugs H are inserted in the tubes I4 and the member I8 thus connected to the base portion, after which the upper sheet and the other bedclothing may be positioned over the attachment and the ends thereof clamped by the members I5 whereupon the foot of the mattress is raised and the attachment is positioned with the base portion thereof engaging the under side of the mattress. When the foot of the mattress is lowered into position the base portion of the attachment will be between the mattress and bed springs, while the bedclothing, already clamped between the members I5, will be drawn into position.

In order to position the member I8 so as to support the bedclothing adjacent the foot of the bed in elevated position and out of contact with.

the feet of the beds occupant, it is merely necessary for the occupant of the bed, as he gets into the same, to push upwardly with his feet upon the member I8, whereupon said member swings in a clockwise direction, as viewed in the drawing, until it reaches a vertical position, where, due to gravity and the pressure of the bedclothes thereon, the member I8 and the plugs I! slide downwardly into the tubes I 4 into the position indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. The member I8 is thus securely held in the vertical or operative position and can not swing further in either direction, because the lower ends of its leg portions extend into the tubes I4, it being noted that the diameter of the rod forming the member I8 is less than the internal diameter of the tubes I4 and the diameter of the plugs I I, so that there will be no possibility of the leg portions of the member III failing to drop into the tubes I 4.

In Fig. 3 the attachment is illustrated in a slightly different form from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and one wherein it is especially adapted to support a member for holding the bedclothes adjacent a side of the bed out of contact with the body of the beds occupant.

In this form of the attachment the base memher is similar to that previously described and comprises the legs II, it being noted, however, that a cross rod 20 extends between the free ends of the legs II at the lower ends of the tubes I4, such tubes being constructed and secured in position in this instance in the same way as they were in the previously described instance. The cross rod 20 is provided with clamping members 2I similar to the clamping members I5, except that the members 2I extend in adirection parallel with the tubes I4. The base member is positioned beneath the mattress .along a side of the bed with the tubes I4 extending upwardly adjacent the outer side of the mattress.

The means for supporting the bedclothing in this instance comprises a substantially U-shaped member 22, preferably formed of a single piece of rod stock with the outer or free ends of its leg portions having angularly disposed parts 23 and 24. The parts 24 will extend into the tubes I4, while the parts 23 extend inwardly and upwardly above the upper surface of the mattress to the point where they merge into the leg portions of the member 22 from whence said member will extend in a substantially horizontal plane transversely of the bed in spaced relation to the top of the mattress. The bedclothing will be supported by the member 22 above the occupant of the bed and at the side of the bed will extend over the parts 23 and downwardly and outwardly of the tubes I4, it being noted that the clamping members 2| can be employed to securely fasten the side edge of the clothing in position. It will be understood that the members 22 may be so proportioned as to extend any desired width transversely of the bed and that such member can be interchangeably used in the attachment with the member I8, previously described. A leg member 22a also preferably formed of rod stock and hingedly connected to the free end of member 22 may be swung downwardly until it rests upon the lower sheet to support the end of the member 22 or the leg 22a may be swung upwardly and backwardly until it rests upon the top of the member 22.

In Fig. 4 the attachment is illustrated as employed for supporting a bed table and it will be understood that the legs II of the base portion extend beneath the mattress while the tubes I4 will extend upwardly of the side of the mattress and outside of the bedclothing. The table comprises a supporting frame, preferably formed of a single piece of rod stock, and having straight portions 25 adapted to extend across the bed, which portions are connected at one end by a cross portion 26, while the opposite ends of the portions 25 are turned laterally outwardly, as indicated 'at 25b, and then perpendicularly downwardly, as indicated at 25a, so as to extend into the tubes I4. When the table is mounted in position upon the bed, the end of the supporting frame opposite to its point of connection with the tubes I4, has secured thereto a leg member 21 which is also preferably formed of similar rod stock and is hingedly connected by suitable means to the sup" with the tubes l4, but also at its opposite end. In this connection it should be noted that the length of the leg member 21 should be slightly longer than the distance which the perpendicularly turned ends 25a of the portions 25 project above the upper ends of the tubes |4 so as to compensate for the leg member sinking a short distance into the bedclothing.

The table proper, indicated generally at 26, is mounted upon the supporting frame and is preferably formed with flanges or sides 29' along its edges whereby the table is in the nature of a tray- The flanges or sides 29 along the opposite longitudinal sides of the table are provided with grooves 39 which receive the portions 25 and enable the table to he slid into position on the supporting frame from the end thereof havin the portions 25b. It will-be noted that the table is shown in Fig. 4 with the flanges or sides 29 extending downwardly so that the table presents a plain flat upper surface. When desired the table 29 may be reversed so that the flanges 29 extend upwardly and the table becomes in this instance a bed tray. I

In Fig. 5 the'attachment is illustrated as supporting a book stand or rack. The base portion mattress while the tubes [4 will extend upwardly of the side of the mattress outside of the bedclothing.

The tubes l4 receive the free ends 3| of a suitable length of rod stock having a portion turned at right angles to the ends 3| so as to extend across the bed and formed of convergent lengths 32 connected at their inner ends by a cross-section 33.

A substantially U-shaped member 34 formed of rod stock is secured adjustably to the crosssection 33 by means of a bolt 35 extending through the base of the member 34 and through the section 33, a wing nut 36 being mounted on the bolt to clamp the parts in the desired adjusted position.

The legs of the U-shaped member 34 telescoplcally extend into the tubular members 31 of a central frame, which members are connected by cross rods 38 extending therebetween with their opposite ends welded or otherwise secured to the tubular members 31. The lower tubular member 31 has welded or otherwise secured thereto substantially at right angles a strip 39 adapted to engage the lower edge of a book.

A second substantially U-shaped member 49 similar to the member 34 has its legs telescopically extending into the tubular members 31 from the ends opposite those which receive the legs of the member 34. A supporting leg 4| preferably formed of rod stock, in the form of a triangle is connected to the lower leg of the member 49 by means of a loop 42 encircling such lower leg, the base of the supporting leg 4| being adapted to rest upon the bedclothing and support the inner end of the book rack or stand.

The members 34 and 49 are provided with pairs of rod loops 43, the loops of each pair being aligned with the loops of the other pair on the opposite member. The loops 43 have their free ends turned inwardly and brought together and welded or otherwise securedto thebase portions of the members 34 and 49 whereby the front and back covers of an open book on the rack may be positionedbeneath the loops.

The members 34 and 49 are also each provided with means 44 adapted to engage the pages of an open book on the rack and as illustrated such means may take the form of lengths of suitable rod stock having one of their ends pivotally connected to the members 34 and 49, as by being loosely riveted thereto in the case of the member 49 or by mounting the same upon the bolt 35 in the case of the member 34, whereby the means 44 may be swung upwardly to permit the turning of the leaves and then downwardly to prevent the turning of the leaves.

When it is desired to use the book rack or stand the base portion of the attachment is positioned as heretofore explained and the ends 3| are then inserted in the tubes H. The win nut 36 is tightened -to hold the book support proper in the approximate position desired, after which the members 34 and 49 are moved inwardly or outwardly with respect to the central frame according to the size of the book which is to be placed thereon. 'I'he'front and back covers of the book are positioned beneath the loops 43 while the bottom edge of the book engages the strip 39. The book is opened to the desiredpage and the rods 44 are swung downwardly to hold the pages against turning. The exact position desired for the rack may be obtained by loosening the wing nut 36 and turning the member 34 after which the wing nut is again tightened. When the reader desires to turn a page of the book the rods 44 are swung upwardly to permit the same after which they are again swung into page holding position. It will be understood, of course, that the leg 4| rests upon the bed and imparts stability to the device.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein,

1 her horizontally and detachably disposed beneath the mattress of a bed and having its free ends merging into upwardly extending spaced vertical tubular arms, means for maintaining the arms in fixed spaced relation, said cover supporting section comprising a structure of U-shaped configuration having its spaced ends freely slidable in said tubular extending arms respectively, a member slidable in each of the tubular arms, pivot means for connecting the ends of the cover supporting section to the slidable members, said slidable members and arms cooperating to serve as stops and supports to hold the cover supporting section substantially in horizontal position.

CHARLES J. EWALD. 

